WARMUP WEEK
A town of winners, and a big Wild trade. First time since December 20, 2003 since these three teams won. In other words, the 1st time in one of my children’s lives.
Cold weekend but still chaos which seems too normal around the world. May we find peace this season.
Tomorrow, tune into The State of Health Care — a Fluence Forum with legislators and experts covering the big picture in a disrupted market. REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/StateofHealthCare
RIP Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle.
Overdue, but members of the “Miracle on Ice” hockey team received Congressional Gold Medals. BMTN: https://fluence-media.co/4p0lxal
A Minnesota native says she narrowly avoided Saturday’s shooting at Brown University. KSTP: https://fluence-media.co/4j32PO8
At least 15 were killed at an Australian Hanukkah event yesterday. Jewish Minnesotans are holding events in response. MPR: https://fluence-media.co/48Y1DXv
NBC finds that GOP voters are now evenly divided between “traditional Republicans” and “MAGA Republicans” — in April, MAGA had a 14-point lead. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4oUK94f
Sunday Take featured analysis of who Republicans want for governor and Anders Folk discussing his run for Hennepin County Attorney. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4oTaKic
Happy National Cupcake Day!
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The latest insight from Fluence Advisory on the loss of institutional knowledge from the Minnesota Legislature. READ:https://fluence-advisory.com/insights/
DRIVING MONDAY
FIRST: via news release later this morning from Senate Republicans VERBATIM: “Cherie Johnson, mother, teacher, coach, and foster mom today announced her candidacy for Minnesota Senate District 26 as a Republican to serve southeastern Minnesota residents…Johnson has served on various boards, mentored youth groups at her church, and volunteered at area animal welfare organizations. Cherie has lived in Winona for 13 years with her husband, Ben, a Winona native. Winona is where they raised their seven children.”
HD41A: Cole Birkeland is a DFL candidate in HD41A, which will likely be a Top 10 race to watch next year.
TMRW: Primary elections tomorrow in HF47A and HD64A. Seats likely to be DFL and seats vacated by Sen. Amanda Hemingson-Jaeger and Mayor-elect. Rep. Kaohly Her. The HD64A primary is crowded and will be a test of the DFL endorsement.
BUZZ: The buzz around the possibility of TV broadcaster Michelle Tafoya announcing a run for US Senate as a Republican is getting louder. She was not at the GOP meeting on Saturday. Expect an announcement after Jan. 1.
STEWARTVILLE: Classes will start late today after the shooting at Stewartville schools last Friday.
GOP POLL: A straw poll of over 300 Republicans at this weekend’s State Central Committee meeting saw two candidates for governor collectively earn a majority of the votes. Results are summarized below. DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4pEQS3z
Kendall Qualls: 93 votes (27.8%)
Lisa Demuth: 90 votes (26.9%)
Mike Lindell: 49 votes (14.6%)
Chris Madel: 41 votes (12.2%)
Phillip Parrish: 19 votes (5.7%
Kristin Robbins: 13 votes (3.9%)
Scott Jensen: 8 votes (2.4%)
Patrick Knight: 7 votes (2.1%)
Jeff Johnson: 4 votes (1.2%)
Brad Kohler: 1 vote (0.3%)
Undecided/Abstain: 10 votes (3.0%)
MORE: via a Kendall Qualls statement, QUALLS: “I’m a unique candidate as a political outsider and business leader who can energize Republicans and attract a sizable share of swing voters—enough to win decisively in 2026. To fix what’s happening at the Capitol, we need someone who isn’t from the Capitol. MNGOP delegates are ready for a leader who can bring real, transformative change.”
NOTE: Most GOP candidates who have won the straw poll since 2010 have not been the Republican nominee.
LINDELL: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Mike Lindell’s entrance into the Minnesota governor’s race gives the Republican Party’s right flank a standard-bearer to support in the battle to defeat DFL Gov. Tim Walz. Among the roughly dozen GOP candidates seeking to face Walz, perhaps no one captures the party’s right wing more than Lindell. … [But] the GOP’s establishment wing warns the party could squander its chance of winning the governor’s office for the first time since 2006. … QUOTE: ‘We literally have the Democrats handing us what I would argue is the greatest controversy to run against in the last 20 years,’ said GOP operative Preya Samsundar, referring to the fraud scandal. [But] ‘if Lindell is the nominee, Walz is a third-term governor.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XYluAO
CONSTRUCTION: via Minneapolis Fed, VERBATIM: “Representatives from 263 construction companies shared how the economy was impacting their business through the Minneapolis Fed’s fall Construction Survey. For many firms, the decline in the volume of private and public projects began earlier in the year and lingered throughout the spring and summer months. Expectations for the near future remained somewhat fragile. … Overall, construction activity declined slightly in the last six months compared with the same period in 2024. Nearly half of survey respondents reported lower activity, while one-third reported growth.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rWCjcZ
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MOOD ON FRAUD
POLL: In a KSTP poll, Minnesota voters say fraud is a top issue for them in the 2026 elections. Results are summarized below. DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4qexp9P
How big of a problem is fraud? — 25% biggest problem, 54% major problem, 13% minor problem, 3% not a problem, 6% unsure
Has the governor done enough? — 14% done enough, 69% needs to do more, 18% unsure
Has the legislature done enough? — 11% done enough, 74% needs to do more, 15% unsure
WALZ: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz [has] announced what appear to be modest additions toward his strategy of combating Medicaid fraud, including the hiring of a director of program integrity at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and a contract with WayPoint. … But Walz also said he must do more to articulate how Minnesota is tackling fraud.” QUOTE: “We are a state that chooses not to let people go hungry or homeless or uneducated. However, that generosity has been taken advantage of by fraudsters. … I don’t think we’ve done a good enough job communicating the hard work that’s being done [about fraud].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48UNKtc
ICYMI: Friday’s lunch take had coverage and reactions for Gov. Tim Walz appointing Judge Tim O’Malley as the state’s new Director of Program Integrity. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4iWJcqN
MONEY WIRES: via AP News, VERBATIM: “The Treasury Department is targeting businesses that people use to wire money to family members abroad as the Trump Administration ratchets up investigations into fraud within Minnesota’s Somali community, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday. … The Treasury Department will soon issue an order requiring money wire services that people use to send money to Somalia to submit additional verification to the Treasury.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rYgDgD
CLEAN | RELIABLE | AFFORDABLE: via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “We’re powering the Upper Midwest with clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy. For more than 50 years, our Prairie Island Nuclear Plant, located near Red Wing, MN, has been a workhorse of reliable, carbon-free energy. With two pressurized water reactors producing about 1,100 megawatts, Prairie Island generates enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes across the Upper Midwest. Unlike sources that depend on weather, nuclear energy delivers 24/7 reliability — providing the power we need today while protecting the environment for tomorrow.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4oCHdK9 (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
SHIFTING SEATS
CD8: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “An influential Democratic-Farmer-Labor official in northern Minnesota resigned Friday, a little over a year after she was charged with criminal vehicular homicide. … The DFL party was standing by 8th District DFL Chair Cyndy Martin [as] state officials declined to use their influence to pressure Martin to resign. DFL Chair Richard Carlbom, who previously said he would wait for ‘due process to play out,’ thanked Martin for her service in a Friday statement. … [Martin] sat on the DFL’s Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4p5zHao
RAMSEY BOARD: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega [announced] he would not run for reelection next November. … His decision comes [after] Rebecca Noecker, the president of the St. Paul City Council, [began] a run for his District 5 seat. … On Friday evening, state Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega, DFL-St. Paul, announced that she, too, would seek Ortega’s seat.” PÉREZ-VEGA: “Our community is asking for leadership rooted in lived experience and ready to deliver real results.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rY8XLg
MORE: Retiring Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega endorsed Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega as his replacement. ORTEGA: “Perez-Vega is THAT candidate. I know that she is a fierce fighter for the people who need help and exactly the kind of next generation leader Ramsey County needs right now.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4qdLDb4
NOTE: Add another open seat in the Minnesota House.
IMMIGRATION
SMALL BIZ: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown is disrupting Twin Cities businesses where immigrants buy groceries, get haircuts or find community. … That’s caused staffing challenges and a drop in foot traffic for businesses along Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis. … At the Yemeni coffee shop Qahwah House, employee Hassan Al Urduni estimated that business this week was down about 20% compared to last week. … Other nearby businesses reported similar drops in traffic.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4afVDvF
ENFORCEMENT: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “A new legal opinion from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office could jeopardize counties’ participation in federal immigration enforcement. The guidance, released Friday, says state law bars Minnesota sheriffs from unilaterally entering into agreements with federal immigration officials; those contracts can only be approved by county boards of commissioners. ICE says it has agreements with eight Minnesota sheriff’s offices, [but] it’s unclear how many of those agreements have been approved by county boards. The Crow Wing County Board did not approve the agreement between its sheriff’s office and ICE.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49bv8Gw
MORE: Via Office of the Atty. General, the legal opinion on sheriffs and ICE cooperation. OPINION: https://fluence-media.co/3KzTtfY
ICE: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Rep. Ilhan Omar said federal immigration agents pulled over her son on Saturday and asked him to prove his citizenship. … ‘After he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by [ICE], and once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go,’ Omar said in an interview. … WCCO has reached out to ICE about the incident. … On Friday, Omar sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem and Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, accusing federal agents of ‘blatant racial profiling’ and ‘an egregious level of unnecessary force’ in the Twin Cities.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4pzpR1h
MORE: Via Rep. Ilhan Omar, her letter to DHS on “racial profiling” is available online. Omar also joined Reps. Angie Craig, Kelly Morrison and Betty McCollum in a second letter to DHS regarding Temporary Protected Status. LETTERS: https://fluence-media.co/3XXk89t
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE: Flint Hills Resources was just awarded the 2025 Large Business of the Year award from the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce at their annual Business Excellence Awards celebration. The award celebrates the outstanding achievements of businesses that exemplify the thriving and growing spirit of Dakota County. The businesses honored make an impact and contribute to the continued success of our community. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/46lTpIs (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
AROUND MN
RAMSEY CTY: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “In a cost-cutting move, Ramsey County [drafted a] new county budget which would eliminate the equivalent of five full-time workers from the suburban library system, [among other cuts]. … The county’s annual truth in taxation hearing [last week] drew a standing-room-only crowd [including] a long line of homeowners objecting to the county’s proposed 9.75% tax levy increase. The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners will vote to finalize the biennial 2026-2027 county budget and tax levy on Tuesday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XUBh3y
OLMSTED CTY: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “[Olmsted] County commissioners will be asked to approve up to $44.5 million in new debt on Tuesday as they prepare to approve a proposed $389.2 million budget for 2026. ‘We will use those dollars to buy equipment, build buildings or do whatever construction is needed,’ Olmsted County Chief Financial Officer Wilfredo Román Cátala said of the planned borrowing. … The proposed borrowing through the issuance of capital improvement bonds accounts for less than 4.25% of the anticipated county budget.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4selWJh
STEARNS CTY: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “Stearns County commissioners will decide whether or not to approve the proposed 2026 county budget, which includes a 5.2% tax levy increase, during their next meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. … The county [previously] held a ‘Truth in Taxation’ hearing where residents asked questions and voiced concerns about the preliminary budget. A majority of the hour-long hearing included calls for audits on the county’s spending — specifically for human services — and election processes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MuoJh0
THE WEEK
TODAY: Gov. Tim Walz has no public events today.
TODAY: via SEIU, VERBATIM: “On Monday, Dec 15th, at 1pm, airport workers, community supporters and faith leaders will attend the monthly meeting of the MSP Airport’s Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) to express concern and demand action from the MAC about ICE activities targeting immigrant workers and other concerns happening at the MSP Airport.
TODAY: via MN Senate, VERBATIM: “On Monday, December 15, Senator Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester) will host a Renter Roundtable event to hear from constituents about their experiences, concerns, and perspectives as renters. The event [is] from 5:30-7:00 p.m.”
TOMORROW: Special primaries will be held in House Districts 64A and 47A to determine final matchups for the special elections on Jan. 27. Candidates are seeking to replace Kaohly Her and Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger after they moved to other offices.
WEDNESDAY: The House fraud prevention committee will meet at 10:00 a.m. to discuss assisted living and adult day services with representatives from the Dept. of Health and Dept. of Human Services.
THURSDAY: The Senate subcommittee on federal impacts will meet at 10:00 a.m. with an unannounced agenda.
BDAYS: MAC member Rich Ginsberg, advocate Sia Her, lobbyist Nick Zerwas, attorney Janel Dressen, car guy Jon Reyerson, CEO and golfer Richard “Donkey” Walker
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take from now to the future is in memory of Melissa Hortman her accessibility, leadership and commitment to public service.
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